Books › Atoms Under the Floorboards
Atoms Under the Floorboards
336 pages
A delightful, eye-opening tour through the hidden physics governing the ordinary objects in your home.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like putting on a pair of X-ray glasses that reveal the secret, bustling world of physics operating right inside your living room. The pace is brisk and bouncy, leaping from the squeak of a floorboard to the structural integrity of a shiny shoe with infectious enthusiasm. It cultivates a cozy yet wonder-filled mood, transforming the mundane backdrop of domestic life into a playground of scientific marvels. The prose is conversational and witty, stripping away academic jargon in favor of clever, relatable analogies that make complex mechanics instantly click. It is an absolute delight for endlessly curious readers who never outgrew the habit of asking 'why,' leaving you with a profound appreciation for the invisible forces holding your everyday world together.
- Mood
- illuminating
- cozy
- wonder-filled
- Tone
- curious
- accessible
- wry
- enthusiastic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the magic of the mundane · hidden mechanics of daily life · scientific curiosity · domestic wonders
- The writing
- Clear, conversational, and peppered with relatable analogies that make complex physics easily digestible.
- The arc
- Moves from a state of taking the everyday environment for granted to a feeling of delighted astonishment at the complex physics hiding in plain sight.
- Who it's for
- Curious minds who love asking 'why' and 'how' about the ordinary objects surrounding them.
About the book
Using the modern home as a springboard, Atoms Under the Floorboards presents the fascinating and surprising scientific explanations behind a variety of common (and often entertainingly mundane) household phenomena, from gurgling drains and squeaky floorboards to rubbery custard and shiny shoes. Atoms Under the Floorboards won The American Institute of Physics 2016 Science Writing Award for Books and was named a Physics World Top 10 Book in 2015.
Description from Open Library.
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